METRO BRIEFING | NEW YORK; Albany: Nuclear Standards Challenged

Published: July 13, 2007

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo filed legal papers yesterday challenging the standards used by federal authorities to determine whether to extend the license of a nuclear reactor. Mr. Cuomo filed the papers in support of a legal challenge to the relicensing of the Indian Point nuclear plant in Westchester County by Andrew J. Spano, the county executive. The plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear, wants to extend the licenses of the plant's two active reactors for 20 years beyond their expiration dates of 2013 and 2015. Mr. Cuomo said federal regulators needed to evaluate more than the condition of the reactors before making a decision, and to consider factors like evacuation plans, the operator's performance and the risk of terrorism. An Entergy spokesman said those issues were already included in continuing regulatory oversight.